Villum Fonden has distributed DKK 100 million to 51 researchers, of whom 21 are from DTU, who will have the opportunity to test their ’bold and strange’ research ideas.
Villum Experiment is meant for research projects in the technical and natural sciences that challenge norms and have the potential to change our approach to important topics. This year, in an anonymous selection process, the foundation has looked at nearly 500 applications and found 51 eligible projects across five universities. At DTU, 21 researchers have received DKK 1-2 million each to pursue their groundbreaking ideas over the next two years.
“At Villum Experiment, the following applies: nothing ventured, nothing gained. The aim of the programme is to find and support very specific technical and scientific research projects that challenge the norm and have the potential to change the world and our knowledge of the world,” says Thomas Bjørnholm, Director of Science.
Dating of prehistoric finds
Among the recipients at DTU is R&D engineer Eike F. Rades, DTU Environment, who has received DKK 1.9 million for the project ‘Using rock surface luminescence dating of stone tools to track early human migration throughout the world’.
Luminescence dating exploits the fact that certain minerals both store and release energy from radiation under special conditions. With a new method, now you can also date whole stones. And in this project, Eike F. Rades will attempt to use this new stone surface luminescence dating method to directly date archaeological finds, such as stone tools dating back to the Neanderthals and the age of the early humans. In doing so, he hopes to be able to describe more accurately how and when humans spread across the earth.
Method to counter oxygen depletion
Professor Stefan Trapp, DTU Environment, has received DKK 2 million for the project ’Remediation of marine dead zones by enhancing microbial sulphide oxidation using electrodes (REDOX)’.
Several places in Denmark experience seasonal or even permanent oxygen depletion and effects of sulphide. In this project, Stefan Trapp, together with Yifeng Zhang and Andreas Libonati Brock, DTU Environment, and Colin Stedmon, DTU Aqua, will upscale a newly developed method to remove sulphide and restore oxygen balance using electrodes that can connect the deeper oxygen-poor areas of the water with the more oxygen-rich peak.
Visualization of nanoparticle movements
Senior researcher Henning Osholm Sørensen, DTU Physics, has received DKK 2 million for the project ’Opening the black box: imaging nanoparticle transport in porous media’.
He works on dynamically visualising how nanoparticles move through a microporous material on the nanometre scale. If the project is successful, he expects to be able to show and then predict the spread of nanoparticles in a natural environment.
See four other recipients from DTU Fysik
Catalysis for greener manufacturing process
Assistant Professor Søren Kramer, DTU Chemistry, works in the field of catalysis and sustainable chemistry. He has received DKK 2 million for the project ’Sustainable Synthesis of Advanced Organic Molecules by Asymmetric Catalysis and C-H Functionalization’.
The project aims to improve the production of advanced organic molecules by combining two methods: C-H functionalization and asymmetric catalysis. The combination of the two methods has the potential to make the manufacture of medicines, additives, sensors, etc. significantly greener.
See two other recipients from DTU Chemistry